Jambs e



@1t-itch taies daten-titten JAM-Es E. Metern, or NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, Assiettes fro nrMsnLr' AND J. W. GHAMBERLMN.

VLetters Patent No. 51,348, dated January 22, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUNGS FOR BEER BARRELS.

,fro ALL wHoM 1r MAY concreti:

Be it known that I, JAMES llfMcnTH, of the city of New Orleans, parish of rleans, and State of Louisiana, haverinvented a new and useful Improvement in Beer Bungs or Faucet Holders vand I do hereby declare Vthat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, .reference being` had to the accompanying drawings, niaking a part of this .specicatom in whie'h- Figure l is a perspective yiew of a beer barrel having myfiniproved bung or faucet holder attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a transverse section of Ithe bung or faucet holder withaportion of the head of the barrel; and

Figure 3 shows the India-rubber ring whichv serves as a packing for the faucet.

The same letters indicate like partsv in all the Aures.

The object of my invention is to enablethe faucet to be inserted without allowing the beer to squirt out. Great inconvenience arises 'from the present method of putting in the faucet, andmore especially to individuals who purchase forprivate consumption. Very often the whole or best portion of the beer is thus wasted, at the same time,` in ve'ry many cases, emptying the contents of the-barrel over the party so trying to insert the faucet. To prevent this, numerous devicesr'are enlployed', 'such as wrapping upthe head of the barrel with a sack, apiece .of cloth or carpet, andwith little or no success. i

n the drawing, A is the head of the barrel; B is the case, and consists of a flat piece of brass orother metal with an aperture in the centre, through which 'the stem of the faucet passes into 4the barrel. Around this aperture is'a rim projecting outwards, andhaying a jange on the lower side and at right angles to the rim, as

seen in fig 2. Upon thisrim a screw-thread'is cut, upon which is screwed the cap C, (figs-l and 2.) C is the cap to the case B, and is of size to tV on to the said case, land having also a Bange on the upper side thereof. The ease B is fastened to the head of the barrel by'means of wood screws, as shown in fig. l. D (iigs. 2 and 3) is an India'urubber ring, made concave on the outside and convex on the inside, as shown in fig. 3; it is made of suitable' size-to fit in between B and- G when screwed together, as shown at D (iig. 2.) The aperturesthrough v B 'and C are larger than ,the aperture through the head of the barrel, in order to allow for worn-outy or irregular holes in worn barrels, and also to more readily allow the cork `to be put in, as at present done; also to allow the conical. faucet to be driven as far down as may be necessary. When B and C aresserewed together they hold the rubber ring directly over the hole-in the head .of `the barrel. The rubber ring lf) is so formed as shown, and is of such a size, that immediately upon the point or-small end of the faucet being inserted it will grasp the ysame tightly, preventing any escape of the beer or other huid, and upon the faucet being driven down the rubber will expand, falling back in to the reserved space created by the 'concave formation of the ring between B and C; and upon thefaucet being withdrawn the rubber ring D will imnlediately'return to its original size and position. Were the rubber not so formed, it would be very dileult to drive the'faucet down, while the rubber, having no ,space to .fall back upon, would-become compressed, would lose its` elasticity, and be rendered worth= less. The rubber ring is prevented from being driven down into the barrel by means of the Harige' m on B, and from being driven out, together with the faucet, by the force of the beer, or from being lost'in transportation, by means of the ange 7c on C. The rubber ring is made-thicker. than the depth of the case, so that it can be made perfectly'air-tight by screwing theI cap C well down on B. The inside of vtherubber ring being considerably small-er than -the hole in the head of the barrel, thecap haste be taken Voif, and the rubber ring taken out, in` order that'the hole'in the'head of the barrel can be corked up, as at present. done;` tlie rubber ring is then replaced and the cap Cure-aihxed; the barrel isthcn Vready to have the faucet driven in; and when the whole is thus together, it is below the .chimes of the barrel, and is thus protected from injury in transportation. The faucet is .driven down on the cork in the ordinary Inanner. I l y My in'ventiouwillrecommend-itself in the. point .of great economy, as it -saves bothtlie barrel and the faucet, as in the present method the faucet has to-be driven in so hard,`in order to obtain a firm hold, that it enlarges ,and wears out the hole,'vand in taking it out it has te be knockedabout from side to side in order to loosen it, so that in short time it is rendered worthless while by my inveution'the faucet is held rmly in its place by thev rubber ring independent of the head'of the barrel, and vcan be taken out by the hand.'l yAnother advantage is, that by my invention the faucet can -be putin while thebarrel is lying'down. It is o'bviousthat should it be found necessary to sell this article to` the consumerinstead of to the manufactureiof beer, the :method'oi` attaohing to the barrel may be modified, and without infecting the main character or nature of my invention. i 'l What I claim as my invention, and desire to secnre by Letters Patent of the United States, 'is- 1. The rubber ring D, substantially in the manner and .for the purposes described. 2. I claim the combimtion of the pa-rts B and @substantially in the manner and for the purposes desc'ribed. 3. I claim the combination of the parts B, C, and D, substantially in 'the manner and for the purposes described. Y JAMESE. MCBETH.

Witnesses:

WM. MoDUFij, HENRY ABEL. 

